Johnny Clegg will perform a special unplugged concert at
Lebone II College Ampitheatre in Phokeng (outside Rustenburg) on Saturday, 7
May, with all funds going to the school’s newly launched PHATSIMA Fund.
PHATSIMA (the Setswana word meaning ‘Shine’) came to
fruition after a chance meeting between a leading South African businesswoman
and one of the school’s pupils.
A then 17-year-old Tsholofelo Diale revealed to visiting guests
how she had applied to the school without her parents’ knowledge as she knew
they couldn’t afford the school’s fees. Once she had been accepted the
industrious Diale, against all odds, went about successfully applying for
bursaries and funding. One of the school’s top graduates, Diale – now 20 – is
studying for a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree at the University of Cape
Town on a full scholarship provided by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
Says businesswoman Getty Gizaw: “There and then I was
determined to do something so that children who are academically astute but
financially impoverished would have the opportunity to access a top
education. Learning played such an
important role in my life and I’ve always believed that, as business people
with the opportunities we have, we must pay it forward.”
It was a sentiment endorsed wholeheartedly by Lebone II
College headmaster David du Toit: “Ensuring that all children have the
possibility of an outstanding education is a priority for our country and is in
the forefront of thinking about the future for the Royal Bafokeng Nation. Kgosi
Leruo Molotlegi, our current king, has stated that the true wealth of a nation
lies in its people, and as such has placed emphasis on education, with Lebone
ll College as a central focus on providing outstanding learning opportunities
in our community. This concert with one of our true South African music legends
aims to make funds available for young people to apply to enter this school and
to enjoy the gift of education.”
Gizaw approached music promoter Roddy Quin of REAL Concerts
who also manages South African music icon Johnny Cleg and asked if they would
take part in a concert to launch PHATSIMA and they were instantly on board. The
goal is to raise R500 000 towards the scholarship fund to continue to make this
world class education at Lebone ll College, a proudly Setswana school with deep
roots in the African soil, available to students who qualify for such funding.
Clegg – who recently returned to South Africa after receiving
the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II as recognition of his
unique services to the arts‚ vulnerable people and children and to democracy in
South Africa – will be joined on the amphitheatre stage by the Lebone II
College Choir.
The Johnny Clegg Unplugged PHATSIMA concert takes place at
Lebone II College Amphitheatre on Saturday, 7 May starting at 18:00. Tickets
are R150 on the grass embankment; R250 in the Amphitheatre; R300 in the Golden
Circle and R500 for VIP. Tickets are selling fast and all indications are that
it will be a sell-out.
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